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Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 25, 2019	Jun. 29, 2018
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	YIELD10 BIOSCIENCE, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001121702
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		12,468,219
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Public Float			$ 9,065,921

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 3,023	$ 14,487
Short-term investments	2,746	0
Accounts receivable	94	54
Unbilled receivables	66	65
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	448	311
Total current assets	6,377	14,917
Restricted cash	332	317
Property and equipment, net	1,385	1,539
Other assets	100	109
Total assets	8,194	16,882
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	117	76
Accrued expenses	1,429	2,299
Total current liabilities	1,546	2,375
Other liabilities, net of current portion	935	1,005
Total liabilities	2,481	3,380
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Stockholders' Equity:
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock ($0.01 par value per share); 5,000,000 authorized at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively; 0 and 1,826 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively	0	818
Common stock ($0.01 par value per share); 60,000,000 shares and 40,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively; 10,025,811 and 9,089,159 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively	100	91
Additional paid-in capital	357,646	355,431
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(110)	(85)
Accumulated deficit	(351,923)	(342,753)
Total stockholders' equity	5,713	13,502
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 8,194	$ 16,882

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	1,826
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	1,826
Common stock, par value per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	60,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	10,025,811	9,089,159
Common stock, shares outstanding	10,025,811	9,089,159

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue:
Total revenue	$ 556	$ 944
Expenses:
Research and development	4,759	4,597
General and administrative	5,071	5,630
Total expenses	9,830	10,227
Loss from operations	(9,274)	(9,283)
Other income (expense), net	104	(113)
Net loss	(9,170)	(9,396)
Loss attributable to common shareholders and loss per common share:
Net loss	(9,170)	(9,396)
Deemed dividend on Series A Convertible Preferred Stock issuance	0	(1,427)
Net loss applicable to common shareholders	$ (9,170)	$ (10,823)
Basic and Diluted net loss per share (in dollars per share)	$ (0.92)	$ (3.29)
Number of shares used in per share calculations:
Basic & Diluted (in shares)	9,932,487	3,288,618
Grant revenue
Revenue:
Total revenue	$ 556	$ 944

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net loss	$ (9,170)	$ (9,396)
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Change in foreign currency translation adjustment	(25)	(1)
Total other comprehensive loss	(25)	(1)
Comprehensive loss	$ (9,195)	$ (9,397)

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss	$ (9,170)	$ (9,396)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation	196	206
Expense for 401(k) company common stock match	102	85
Stock-based compensation	1,181	1,395
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(40)	12
Due from related parties	0	1
Unbilled receivables	(1)	56
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(128)	660
Accounts payable	41	17
Accrued expenses	(865)	(622)
Other long-term liabilities	(70)	(616)
Net cash used in operating activities	(8,754)	(8,202)
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property and equipment	(42)	(6)
Purchase of investments	(11,496)	0
Proceeds from sale and maturity of short-term investments	8,750	0
Net cash used by investing activities	(2,788)	(6)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from warrants exercised	124	0
Proceeds from private placement offering, net of issuance costs	0	1,966
Proceeds from public stock offerings, net of issuance costs	0	13,318
Taxes paid on employees' behalf related to vesting of stock awards	(6)	(12)
Net cash provided by financing activities	118	15,272
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(25)	(1)
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(11,449)	7,063
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period	14,804	7,741
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	3,355	14,804
Supplemental Cash Flow Disclosure:
Interest paid	50	116
Supplemental Disclosure of Non-cash Information:
Stock offering costs remaining in accounts payable and accrued expenses	0	221
Deemed dividend related to Series A Convertible Preferred Stock beneficial conversion feature	$ 0	$ 1,427

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Series B Warrant	Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Aspire	Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Common Stock Series B Warrant	Common Stock Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Common Stock Aspire	Additional Paid-In Capital	Additional Paid-In Capital Series B Warrant	Additional Paid-In Capital Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Additional Paid-In Capital Aspire	Accumulated other Comprehensive Income (loss)	Accumulated Deficit
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 6,369				$ 0	$ 28				$ 339,782				$ (84)	$ (333,357)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016					0	2,834,244
Increase (decrease) in stockholders' equity
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	1,395									1,395
Issuance of common stock for 401k match	$ 84									84
Issuance of common stock for 401k match (in shares)	22,493					22,493
Issuance of stock	$ 13,097		$ (12)	$ 1,966	$ 1,786	$ 47		$ 1	$ 5	11,264		$ (13)	$ 1,961
Issuance of stock (in shares)					3,987	4,667,000		34,193	570,784
Beneficial conversion feature of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock					$ (1,427)					1,427
Deemed dividend to Series A Convertible Preferred Stockholders					1,427					(1,427)
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock					$ (968)	$ 10				958
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (in shares)					(2,161)	960,445
Effect of foreign currency translation	(1)													(1)
Net loss	(9,396)														(9,396)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 13,502				$ 818	$ 91				355,431				(85)	(342,753)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017	9,089,159				1,826	9,089,159
Increase (decrease) in stockholders' equity
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	$ 1,181									1,181
Issuance of common stock for 401k match	$ 107									107
Issuance of common stock for 401k match (in shares)	65,594					65,594
Issuance of stock		$ 124	$ (6)				$ 1	$ 0			$ 123	$ (6)
Issuance of stock (in shares)							55,100	4,401
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock					$ (818)	$ 8				810
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (in shares)					(1,826)	811,557
Effect of foreign currency translation	$ (25)													(25)
Net loss	(9,170)														(9,170)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 5,713				$ 0	$ 100				$ 357,646				$ (110)	$ (351,923)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018	10,025,811				0	10,025,811

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Shares withheld for employee taxes	2,703	2,724
Registered Direct Offering
Issuance of common stock upon private offering, offering costs		$ 317
Public Offering
Issuance of common stock upon private offering, offering costs		$ 1,392

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. ("Yield10 Bioscience," "Yield10" or the "Company") is an agricultural bioscience company which uses its "Trait Factory" development process, which is a combination of the Company's unique background and expertise in metabolic modeling, genetic engineering, genome editing and next generation microbial gene systems, in order to develop high value seed traits for the agriculture and food industries. Specifically, Yield10 plans to efficiently develop superior gene traits for the major grain crops, which are; corn, soybean, canola, wheat and rice. The Company considers 10-20 percent increases in crop yield to be step-change increases. Yield10 is currently progressing several novel yield gene traits in its pipeline in canola, soybean and corn, the major North American row crops, among others. Over the last three years, the Company has evaluated certain of its traits in greenhouse studies and field tests conducted in the United States and Canada. Yield10 currently has two non-exclusive research license agreements in place with the Monsanto division of Bayer Crop Science, a division of Bayer AG, for the evaluation of the Company's C3003 and C3004 traits in soybean and with Forage Genetics International, LLC, a division of Land O'Lakes, Inc. for the evaluation of five yield traits in forage sorghum. The Company's business strategy is to progress its traits into field tests to generate validating yield data. Over the last three years, the Company has progressed its evaluation of C3003 in field test with Camelina and canola. Yield10 is planning to expand its field tests with additional traits and more events in 2019 and 2020. The Company plans to leverage data that it generates to support the performance of its traits in key crops to establish collaborations or sign licenses to the traits with major agricultural companies in order to generate revenue. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an oilseed development Center of Excellence in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis which assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. With the exception of a single year, the Company has recorded losses since its initial founding, including its fiscal year ending December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $5,769. In March 2019 the Company closed on a registered direct offering of its common stock, raising $2,607, net of offering costs. The Company follows the guidance of Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern, in order to determine whether there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date its financial statements are issued. Based on its current cash forecast, which includes funds raised from the March 2019 offering, management expects that the Company's present capital resources will be sufficient to fund its planned operations and meet its obligations into the fourth quarter of 2019. This forecast of cash resources is forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties, and the actual amount of expenses could vary materially and adversely as a result of a number of factors. The Company's ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted depends on its ability to obtain additional financing through, among other sources, public or private equity financing, secured or unsecured debt financing, equity or debt bridge financing, warrant holders' ability and willingness to exercise the Company's outstanding warrants, additional government grants or collaborative arrangements with third parties, as to which no assurance can be given. Management does not know whether additional financing will be available on terms favorable or acceptable to the Company when needed, if at all. If adequate additional funds are not available when required, management will be forced to curtail the Company's research efforts, explore strategic alternatives and/or wind down its operations and pursue options for liquidating its remaining assets, including intellectual property and equipment. Based on its cash forecast, management has determined that the Company's present capital resources will not be sufficient to fund its planned operations for the twelve months from the date that these financial statements are issued, which raises substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. If the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, (i) the Company may incur fees associated with such issuance, (ii) its existing stockholders may experience dilution from the issuance of new equity securities, (iii) the Company may incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in Company assets in connection with any debt issuance, and (iv) the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company’s existing stockholders. In addition, utilization of the Company’s net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to significant annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes resulting from equity financing transactions. If the Company raises additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to its potential products or proprietary technologies or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the Company.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The Company's consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions were eliminated, including transactions with its Canadian subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, Inc.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets included herein:



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,023	$	14,487
Restricted cash	332		317
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	3,355	$	14,804

Amounts included in restricted cash represent those required to be set aside by contractual agreement. Restricted cash of $332 at December 31, 2018 and $317 at December 31, 2017 primarily consists of funds held in connection with the Company's lease agreement for its Woburn, Massachusetts facility.

Investments

The Company considers all investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or more at the date of purchase and a maturity date of one year or less at the balance sheet date to be short-term investments. All other investments are classified as long-term. The Company held no long-term investments at December 31, 2018 and no short or long-term investments at December 31, 2017.

Other-than-temporary impairments of equity investments are recognized in the Company's statements of operations if the Company has experienced a credit loss and has the intent to sell the investment or if it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment before recovery of the amortized cost basis. Realized gains and losses, dividends, interest income and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary credit losses are included in other income (expense). Any premium or discount arising at purchase is amortized and/or accreted to interest income.

Deferred Equity Financing Costs

The Company entered into a common stock purchase agreement in 2015 with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, (Aspire) under which Aspire committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $20,000 of the Company's common stock over a 30-month period. Offering costs of $622 incurred to establish this agreement were recorded as deferred equity financing costs. During 2017 these deferred offering costs were recognized in full within general and administrative expense when the Aspire agreement ended before any shares of common stock were sold.

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign denominated assets and liabilities of the Company's wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rates in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the period. Any resulting translation gains or losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated balance sheet. When the Company dissolves, sells or substantially sells all of the assets of a consolidated foreign subsidiary, the cumulative translation gain or loss of that subsidiary is released from comprehensive income (loss) and included within its consolidated statement of operations during the fiscal period when the dissolution or sale occurs.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of net income (loss) and certain changes in stockholders' equity that are excluded from net income (loss). The Company includes unrealized gains and losses on debt securities and foreign currency translation adjustments in other comprehensive income (loss).

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and accounts receivable. The Company has historically invested its cash equivalents in highly rated money market funds, corporate debt, federal agency notes and U.S. treasury notes. Investments are acquired in accordance with the Company's investment policy which establishes a concentration limit per issuer.

The Company's receivables related to government grants are believed to have a low risk of default. At December 31, 2018, the Company's accounts and unbilled receivables of $160 are all due from research grants with the U.S. government under which the Company serves as either the primary contractor or as a subcontractor. At December 31, 2017, the Company's accounts and unbilled receivables of $119 included $104, or 87%, from grants with the U.S. government.

Fair Value Measurements

The carrying amounts of the Company's financial instruments as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, which include cash equivalents, accounts receivable, unbilled receivables, accounts payable, and accrued expenses, approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. See Note 4 for further discussion on fair value measurements.

Segment Information

The accounting guidance for segment reporting establishes standards for reporting information on operating segments in annual financial statements. The Company is an agricultural bioscience company operating in one segment, which is the development of new technologies to enable step-change increases in crop yield to enhance global food security. The Company's chief operating decision-maker does not manage any part of the Company separately, and the allocation of resources and assessment of performance are based on the Company's consolidated operating results. As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, less than 10% of the Company's combined total assets were located outside of the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2018, reported net income (loss) from the Company's wholly-owned subsidiaries located outside of the United States totaled $3,103, primarily as a result of the Company's accounting for the dissolution of its inactive German subsidiary, Metabolix GmbH. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the reported net income (loss) from the Company's foreign subsidiaries was less than 10% of the combined net income (loss) of the consolidated Company.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Repairs and maintenance are charged to operating expense as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life (years)
Equipment		3
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

The Company records incentive payments received from its landlords as a lease incentive obligation and amortizes these amounts as reductions to lease expense over the lease term.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Accounting guidance further requires that companies recognize an impairment loss only if the carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable based on its undiscounted future cash flows and measure an impairment loss as the difference between the carrying amount and fair value of the asset.

Grant Revenue

The Company's source of continuing revenue is from its government research grants in which it serves as either the primary contractor or as a subcontractor. These grants are considered an ongoing major and central operation of the Company's business. Revenue is earned as research expenses related to the grants are incurred. Revenue earned on government grants, but not yet invoiced as of the balance sheet date, are recorded as unbilled receivables in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Funds received from government grants in advance of work being performed are recorded as deferred revenue until earned.

Research and Development

All costs associated with internal research and development are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include, among others, direct costs for salaries, employee benefits, subcontractors, product trials, facility related expenses, depreciation, and stock-based compensation. Costs incurred in connection with government research grants are recorded as research and development expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses

The Company's general and administrative expense includes costs for salaries, employee benefits, facilities expenses, consulting and professional service fees, travel expenses, depreciation expenses and office related expenses incurred to support the administrative operations of the Company.

Intellectual Property Costs

The Company includes all costs associated with the prosecution and maintenance of patents within general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Stock-Based Compensation

All share-based payments to employees, members of the Board of Directors and non-employees are recognized within operating expense based on the straight-line recognition of their grant date fair value over the period during which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the award. See Note 10 for a description of the types of stock-based awards granted, the compensation expense related to such awards and detail of equity-based awards outstanding.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted shares outstanding is calculated by adding to the weighted shares outstanding any potential (unissued) shares of common stock from outstanding stock options and warrants based on the treasury stock method, as well as weighted shares outstanding of any potential (unissued) shares of common stock from restricted stock units. In periods when a net loss is reported, such as the Company's fiscal years ending December 31, 2018 and 2017, all common stock equivalents are excluded from the calculation because they would have an anti-dilutive effect in the calculation of loss per share; meaning the loss per share would be reduced. Therefore, in periods when a loss is reported, there is no difference in basic and dilutive loss per share. Common stock equivalents include stock options, restricted stock awards, convertible preferred stock and warrants.

The Company follows the two-class method when computing net loss per share, when it has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net income per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participating rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based on their respective rights to receive dividends, as if all income for the period has been distributed or losses to be allocated if they are contractually required to fund losses. In periods of net loss, a participating security that does not have a contractual obligation to share in the loss is not allocated a portion of the net loss when determining loss per share under the two-class method. During 2017, the Company completed an offering of its securities that included preferred shares meeting the definition of participating securities (See Note 9). However, due to the Company's net loss in 2017, no allocation of the net loss was allocated to the preferred shares as the holders of the preferred shares do not have a contractual obligation to fund losses and loss per share has been computed and presented based on the loss being fully assigned to the Company's weighted average outstanding common shares during the year. There were no amounts allocated to participating securities during the year ended December 31, 2018, as the Company had no outstanding securities that met the definition of participating securities.

The number of shares of potentially dilutive common stock presented on a weighted average basis, related to options, restricted stock units, convertible preferred stock and warrants (prior to consideration of the treasury stock method) that were excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares since the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, are shown below:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Options	1,294,180	622,329
Restricted stock awards	8,866	16,165
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	—	30,553
Warrants	7,433,084	943,749
Total	8,736,130	1,612,796

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements or in the Company's tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the deferred tax asset to a level which, more likely than not, will be realized.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions using a "more-likely-than-not" threshold for recognizing and resolving uncertain tax positions. The evaluation of uncertain tax positions is based on factors that include, but are not limited to, changes in tax law, the measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in tax returns, the effective settlement of matters subject to audit, new audit activity and changes in facts or circumstances related to a tax position. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any resulting tax reserves or unrecognized tax benefits that are considered appropriate as well as the related net interest and penalties, if any. The Company evaluates uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis and adjusts the level of the liability to reflect any subsequent changes in the relevant facts surrounding the uncertain positions.

See Note 11 for further discussion of income taxes. The Company had no amounts recorded for any unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Restructuring Charges

The Company records estimated restructuring charges for employee severance and contract termination costs as a current period expense as those costs become contractually fixed, probable and estimable. Obligations associated with these charges are reduced or adjusted as payments are made or the Company's estimates are revised.

Recent Accounting Standards Changes

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") or other standard setting bodies that the Company adopts as of the specified effective date.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The ASU is the result of a joint project by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") that would: remove inconsistencies and weaknesses in the treatment of this area between GAAP and IFRS, provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, improve comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, jurisdictions, industries, and capital markets, improve disclosure requirements and resulting financial statements, and simplify the presentation of financial statements. The core principle of the new guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method and determined that its grant revenue, which is its sole source of revenue, does not fall within the guidance of the new standard. The Company will review future customer revenue agreements against the guidance provided by ASU No. 2014-09 to ensure that revenue is recorded appropriately.

In January 2016 the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. This new standard amended certain aspects of accounting and disclosure requirements for financial instruments, including the requirement that equity investments with readily determinable fair values are to be measured at fair value with any changes in fair value recognized in a company's statements of operations. Prior to adoption of ASU 2016-01, companies recognized changes in fair value in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net. Equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values may be measured at fair value or at cost minus impairment adjusted for changes in observable prices. In addition, a valuation allowance should be evaluated on deferred tax assets related to available-for-sale debt securities in combination with other deferred tax assets. The Company adopted this new standard on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method, and determined that it did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The new standard clarifies certain aspects of the statement of cash flows, including the classification of debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investees and beneficial interests in securitization transactions. The new standard also clarifies that an entity should determine each separately identifiable source or use within the cash receipts and cash payments on the basis of the nature of the underlying cash flows. In situations in which cash receipts and payments have aspects of more than one class of cash flows and cannot be separated by source or use, the appropriate classification should depend on the activity that is likely to be the predominant source or use of cash flows for the item. The Company adopted this new standard on January 1, 2018 and determined that it did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfer of Assets Other Than Inventory. This new standard eliminates the deferral of the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers other than inventory. As a result, the income tax consequences from the intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory and associated changes to deferred taxes will be recognized when the transfer occurs. The Company adopted this new standard on January 1, 2018 and determined that it did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash ("ASU 2016-18"). The new standard provides uniform guidance for the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows. ASU 2016-18 requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash. Therefore, amounts included in restricted cash should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 was effective for the Company for its fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018, including interim periods, and requires a retrospective presentation of each period presented. As a result, the Company's consolidated statement of cash flows for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 have been prepared in accordance with the new requirements of ASU 2016-18.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Stock-based Compensation: Improvements to Nonemployee Share-based Payment Accounting, which amends the existing accounting standards for share-based payments to nonemployees. ASU 2018-07 aligns much of the guidance on measuring and classifying nonemployee awards with that of awards to employees. Under the new guidance, the measurement of nonemployee equity awards is fixed on the grant date. Entities are required to apply ASU 2018-07 by recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the annual period of adoption. The ASU becomes effective during the first quarter of 2019 with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2018-07 on July 1, 2018 and determined that it did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

New pronouncements that are not yet effective but may impact the Company's financial statements in the future are described below.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases ("ASU 2016-02"). ASU 2016-02 will require lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheet as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. Leases will be classified as either operating or finance leases, and classification will be based on criteria similar to current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-10, "Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases" ("ASU 2018-10"), which provides narrow amendments to clarify how to apply certain aspects of the new lease standard, and ASU No. 2018-11, "Leases (Topic 842 - Targeted Improvements" ("ASU 2018-11"), which addresses implementation issues related to the new lease standard. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. Under this standard, disclosures are required to enable users of financial statements to better assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The standard permits two transition methods; (1) to apply the new lease requirements at the beginning of the earliest period presented, or (2) to apply the new lease requirements at the effective date. Under both methods, there is a cumulative effect adjustment.

The Company will adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2019 by applying new requirements to the earliest financial period presented. The Company will elect the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which, among other things, allows the carry forward of the historical lease classification for leases that are within the scope of the standard. The Company is currently evaluating the potential changes from this ASU to future financial reporting and disclosures and is designing and implementing related processes and internal controls. The Company expects the standard to have a material impact by increasing assets by approximately $5 million and increasing liabilities by approximately $7 million for the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, which are primarily related to the lease of the Company's corporate headquarters in Woburn, Massachusetts. The Company does not expect the standard to have a material impact on its results of operations or liquidity.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The new standard changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. Under the new standard, entities holding financial assets and net investment in leases that are not accounted for at fair value through net income are to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. An allowance for credit losses will be a valuation account that will be deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected on the financial asset. The new standard will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this new guidance.

Investments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Investments

INVESTMENTS

The Company's investments consist of the following:



	Accumulated Cost at December 31, 2018		Unrealized				Market Value at December 31, 2018
	Accumulated Cost at December 31, 2018		Gain		(Loss)		Market Value at December 31, 2018
Short-term investments
Government securities	$	2,746	$	—	$	—	$	2,746
Total	$	2,746	$	—	$	—	$	2,746

The Company did not own any investments at December 31, 2017.

Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

The Company has certain financial assets recorded at fair value which have been classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy as described in the accounting standards for fair value measurements. Fair value is the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or the price paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between independent market participants at the measurement date. Fair values determined by Level 1 inputs utilize observable data such as quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize data points other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly. Fair values determined by Level 3 inputs utilize unobservable data points in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions. The fair value hierarchy level is determined by the lowest level of significant input.

The Company’s financial assets classified as Level 2 at December 31, 2018, were initially valued at the transaction price and subsequently valued utilizing third-party pricing services. Because the Company’s investment portfolio may include securities that do not always trade on a daily basis, the pricing services use many observable market inputs to determine value including reportable trades, benchmark yields and benchmarking of like securities. The Company validates the prices provided by the third-party pricing services by reviewing their pricing methods and obtaining market values from other pricing sources. After completing the validation procedures, the Company did not adjust or override any fair value measurements provided by these pricing services as of December 31, 2018.

The tables below present information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 and indicate the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques utilized to determine such fair value.



	Fair value measurements at reporting date using
	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs		Balance as of
Description	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		December 31, 2018
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	2,663	$	—	$	—	$	2,663
Short-term investments:
U.S. government and agency securities	—		2,746		—		2,746
Total	$	2,663	$	2,746	$	—	$	5,409



	Fair value measurements at reporting date using
	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs		Balance as of
Description	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		December 31, 2017
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	11,025	$	—	$	—	$	11,025
Total	$	11,025	$	—	$	—	$	11,025

There were no transfers of financial assets or liabilities between category levels for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Property and Equipment, Net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Equipment	$	907		$	1,059
Furniture and fixtures	119			119
Leasehold improvements	1,749			1,749
Software	72			96
Total property and equipment, at cost	2,847			3,023
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,462		)	(1,484		)
Property and equipment, net	$	1,385		$	1,539

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, was $196 and $206, respectively.

Accrued Expenses

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Employee compensation and benefits	$	98	$	646
Leased facilities	799		585
Commercial manufacturing	—		489
Professional services	234		335
Other	298		244
Total accrued expenses	$	1,429	$	2,299

Included within the employee compensation and benefits accrual at December 31, 2017 is $542 for 2017 employee bonuses that were paid in early 2018. A bonus accrual was not recorded at December 31, 2018. Accrued professional services at December 31, 2017 includes $216 of professional fees related to the Company's securities offering that was completed in December of that year and accrued commercial manufacturing expenses at December 31, 2017 represents a manufacturing contract obligation recorded in connection with the Company's discontinuation of its biopolymer business during 2016. See Note 14.

Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

The Company rents its facilities under operating leases, which expire at various dates through December 2026. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, was $1,235 and $954, respectively.

At December 31, 2018, the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases are as follows:



Year ended December 31,	Minimum lease payment
2019	$	1,025
2020	777
2021	654
2022	676
2023	695
2024 and thereafter	2,137
Total	$	5,964

Lease Commitments

During 2016 the Company entered into a lease agreement, pursuant to which the Company leases approximately 29,622 square feet of office and research and development space located at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts. The lease began on June 1, 2016 and will end on November 30, 2026. The Company provided the landlord with a security deposit in the form of a letter of credit in the amount of $307. Pursuant to the lease, the Company also will pay certain taxes and operating costs associated with the premises throughout the term of the lease. During the buildout of the rented space, the landlord paid $889 for tenant improvements to the facility and an additional $444 for tenant improvements that result in increased rental payments by the Company. The current and non-current portions of the lease incentive obligations related to the landlord’s contributions toward the cost of tenant improvements are recorded within accrued expenses and long-term lease incentive obligation, respectively, in the Company's consolidated balance sheets contained herein.

In October 2016, the Company entered into a sublease agreement with a subsidiary of CJ CheilJedang Corporation ("CJ") with respect to CJ's sublease of approximately 9,874 square feet of its leased facility located in Woburn, Massachusetts. The sublease space was determined to be in excess of the Company's needs. The sublease is coterminous with the Company's master lease and CJ will pay rent and operating expenses equal to approximately one-third of the amounts payable to the landlord by the Company, as adjusted from time-to-time in accordance with the terms of the master lease. Total future minimum operating lease payments of $5,964 shown above are net of the CJ sublease payments. CJ provided the Company with a security deposit of $103 in the form of an irrevocable letter of credit.

The Company also leases approximately 13,702 square feet of office and laboratory space at 650 Suffolk Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. The lease for this facility expires in May 2020. During July 2018, the Company discontinued further use of the Lowell space, and as a result, the Company recorded a non-cash lease exit charge of $249 for the facility in accordance with ASC Topic 420-10, Exit or Disposal Obligations. Current and long-term portions of the associated lease liability for this exit charge are included within accrued expenses and other liabilities, net of current portion, in the Company's consolidated balance sheets included herein. The Company will continue to make monthly rental payments for the Lowell facility through its expiration in May 2020.

The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, Inc. ("MOI"), located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, leases approximately 6,200 square feet of office, laboratory and greenhouse space. MOI's leases for these facilities expire at various times between April 2019 and May 2020.

Contractual Commitments

In connection with the wind down of its biopolymer operations during 2016, the Company ceased pilot production of biopolymer material and reached agreements with the owner-operators of its biopolymer production facilities regarding the early termination of their services. The Company recorded contract termination costs and an associated contract termination obligation related to these manufacturing agreements of $2,641 during 2016. The Company made the final payments of $489 against the termination obligation during 2018.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. The Company is not currently aware of any such proceedings or claims that it believes will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or the results of operations.

Guarantees

As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the Company did not have significant liabilities recorded for guarantees.

The Company enters into indemnification provisions under various agreements with other companies in the ordinary course of business, typically with business partners, contractors, and customers. Under these provisions, the Company generally indemnifies and holds harmless the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party as a result of its activities. These indemnification provisions generally survive termination of the underlying agreement. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is unlimited. However, to date Yield10 Bioscience has not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification provisions. As a result, the estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, the Company has no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

License Agreements	12 Months Ended
License Agreements	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
License Agreements	License Agreements During 2018 and 2017 the Company entered into two non-exclusive licensing arrangements with third parties for the evaluation of the Company's yield trait genes. Neither of these research arrangements will provide licensing revenue to the Company while the third parties perform their trait evaluations. In December 2017, the Company granted a license to the Monsanto Division of Bayer Crop Science (formerly Monsanto Company), a division of Bayer AG, to evaluate the Company's novel C3003 and C3004 yield traits in soybean. Under this license, Monsanto Crop Science has the non-exclusive right to begin work with C3003 in its soybean program as a strategy to improve seed yield. Monsanto may also conduct research with the Company's C3004 yield trait, a trait accessible through genome editing, in combination with C3003 to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination in improving seed yield in soybean. In September 2018, the Company granted a non-exclusive license to Forage Genetics International, LLC ("Forage Genetics"), a subsidiary of Land O'Lakes, Inc., to evaluate five of the Company's novel traits in forage sorghum. The traits included in the research license include C3003 as well as four traits from the Company's GRAIN platform, C4001, C4002, C4003 and C4029. The C4000 series traits have been shown to significantly increase photosynthesis and biomass in research conducted by the Company. The key objective of the licensing agreement is to provide Forage Genetics with novel traits to test alone and/or in any combination in sorghum that may lead to the identification of new yield traits for potential future licensing from the Company for development and commercial deployment.

Capital Stock

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Capital Stock

Common Stock

On May 23, 2018, the Company held its 2018 Annual Meeting, at which stockholders approved an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to increase from 40,000,000 shares to 60,000,000 shares the aggregate number of shares of common stock that are authorized to be issued. As a result of this vote, on May 23, 2018, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to increase the number of authorized shares. Also, at the Annual Meeting, stockholders approved the adoption of the Company's 2018 Stock Plan. The 2018 Stock Plan reserves for issuance 1,300,000 shares of the Company's common stock for grants of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock grants and stock-based awards. Shares available under the 2018 Stock Plan will be increased on the first day of January 2019 and 2020 in an amount equal to 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock on the day prior to the increase in each respective year or such smaller number of shares of common stock as determined by the Board of Directors.

During December 2017, the Company closed on a public offering of its securities, receiving cash proceeds of $13,097, net of issuance costs of $1,392. The offering included 4,667,000 Class A Units, priced at a public offering price of $2.25 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock, a Series A five-year expiration warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $2.25 per share, and a Series B nine-month expiration warrant to purchase 0.5 share of common stock at an exercise price of $2.25 per share, and 3,987 Class B Units, priced at a public offering price of $1,000 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of preferred stock, having a conversion price of $2.25, Series A five-year warrants to purchase 445 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.25 per share, and Series B nine-month warrants to purchase 223 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $2.25 per share. The Company determined that both the preferred stock and the warrants should be recorded within stockholders' equity at December 31, 2017.

Proceeds received from the offering were allocated to the various elements of the offering based on their relative fair values. The fair value of the Common Stock is its closing market price on December 21, 2017, the closing date of the offering. The Series A Convertible Preferred Stock was valued on an as-if-converted basis based on the underlying common stock and the Series A and Series B warrants were valued using the Black-Scholes model with the following weighted-average input at the time of issuance:


•	an expected term of 5.0 years and 0.75 years for the Series A and Series B warrants, respectively,


•	risk free rates of 2.2 percent and 1.7 percent for the Series A and Series B warrants, respectively, based on the published rates of U.S. treasury bills with similar terms, and


•	volatility of 125 percent based on the Company’s historical volatility.

After allocation of the proceeds, the effective conversion price of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock was determined to be beneficial and, as a result, the Company recorded a one-time non-cash deemed dividend during December 2017 of $1,427 equal to the intrinsic value of the beneficial conversion feature. The Series A Convertible Preferred Stock did not have a stated redemption date, and as a consequence, accounting guidance required immediate recognition of a beneficial conversion feature rather than amortization of the benefit over time. The Series A Convertible Preferred Stock was considered a participating security. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company's 2017 loss of $9,396 from operations was increased by the amount of the deemed dividend resulting in a net loss attributable to common shareholders of $10,823. As of March 19, 2018, preferred shareholders had converted all 3,987 of the preferred shares into 1,772,000 shares of common stock.

On September 12, 2017, the Company issued warrants to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock to the Company's investor relations consultant, in consideration for services rendered and to be rendered by the consultant. These warrants have an exercise price of $2.90 per share and are exercisable in whole or part at any time during the period commencing on September 12, 2017 and ending on September 11, 2024. The Company reviewed the accounting guidance for warrants and determined that the warrants should be recorded as equity within additional paid-in capital.

On July 7, 2017, the Company completed a registered direct offering of its securities. Proceeds from the transaction were approximately $1,966, net of issuance costs of $317. Investors participating in the transaction purchased a total of 570,784 shares of common stock at a price of $4.00 per share and an equal number of warrants with an exercise price of $5.04 per share, exercisable beginning on January 7, 2018 and until their expiration on January 7, 2024. In accordance with accounting guidance for warrants, these warrants were also recorded as equity within additional paid-in capital.

On May 26, 2017, the Company effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its common stock. The ratio for the reverse stock split was determined by the Company's board of directors following approval by stockholders at the Company's annual meeting held on May 24, 2017. The reverse stock split reduced the number of shares of the Company's common stock outstanding at the time of the reverse stock split from approximately 28.7 million shares to approximately 2.9 million shares. Proportional adjustments were made to the Company's outstanding stock options and restricted stock units and to the number of shares issued and issuable under the Company's equity compensation plans.

Preferred Stock

The Company's certificate of incorporation, as amended and restated, authorizes it to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock.

As discussed above, during December 2017 the Company closed on a public offering of its securities that included issuance of 3,987 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. Each preferred share was convertible, at the holder's option, into 445 shares of common stock at a conversion price of $2.25 per share, subject to adjustments as a result of stock dividends and stock splits. The Company determined the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock should be classified as equity as it was not mandatorily redeemable, there were no unconditional obligations requiring the Company to settle in a variable number of common shares or settle through the transfer of assets and the monetary value of the preferred shares was fixed. As of March 19, 2018, all of the 3,987 preferred shares had been converted to 1,772,000 shares of common stock. When converted, the shares of converted Series A Convertible Preferred Stock were restored to the status of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock, subject to reissuance by the Board of Directors.

Warrants

The following table summarizes information with regard to outstanding warrants to purchase common stock as of December 31, 2018:



Issuance	Number of Shares Issuable Upon Exercise of Outstanding Warrants	Exercise Price		Expiration Date
June 2015 Private Placement	393,300	$	39.80	June 15, 2019
July 2017 Registered Direct Offering	570,784	$	5.04	January 7, 2024
December 2017 Public Offering - Series A	6,439,000	$	2.25	December 21, 2022
Consultant	30,000	$	2.90	September 11, 2024
Total	7,433,084

During 2018 a total of 55,100 Series B warrants from the December 2017 public offering were exercised resulting in the issuance of 55,100 shares of common stock and the Company's receipt of $124 in cash proceeds. On September 21, 2018, the remaining unexercised Series B warrants expired in accordance with their terms.

Reserved Shares

The following common stock shares were reserved for future issuance upon exercise of stock options, release of Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs"), conversion of outstanding Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and conversion of outstanding warrants:



	December 31, 2018	December 31, 2017
Stock Options	1,745,037	702,033
RSUs	7,101	14,367
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	—	811,555
Warrants	7,433,084	10,652,586
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	9,185,222	12,180,541

Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock Option Plans

The Company adopted a stock plan in 2006 (the "2006 Plan"), which provided for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock awards, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, cash-based awards and dividend equivalent rights. In October 2014, the 2006 Plan was terminated, and the Company adopted a new plan (the "2014 Plan"). No further grants or awards were subsequently made under the 2006 Plan. A total of 146,724 options were awarded from the 2006 Plan and as of December 31, 2018, 21,867 of these options remain outstanding and eligible for future exercise.

The 2014 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock awards, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, cash-based awards and dividend equivalent rights. In May 2018, the 2014 Plan was terminated, and the Company adopted a new 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the "2018 Stock Plan"). A total of 675,529 options have been awarded from the 2014 Plan and as of December 31, 2018, 667,699 of these options remain outstanding and eligible for future exercise. A total of 144,541 restricted stock awards have been awarded from the 2014 Plan and as of December 31, 2018, 7,101 of these restricted stock awards are unvested and outstanding. No further stock awards may be issued from the 2014 Plan.

The 2018 Stock Plan reserves for issuance 1,300,000 shares of the Company's common stock for grants of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock grants and stock-based awards. Shares available under the 2018 Stock Plan will be increased on the first day of January 2019 and 2020 in an amount equal to 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock on the day prior to the increase in each respective year or such smaller number of shares of common stock as determined by the Board of Directors. In its meeting held on February 12, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors approved the addition of 501,290 shares to the 2018 Stock Plan which represented 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock on December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, a total of 1,038,242 options have been awarded from the 2018 Stock Plan, and as of that date, 1,036,304 options remain outstanding.

Expense Information for Stock Awards

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense, related to employee stock awards, including awards to non-employees and members of the Board of Directors, of $1,181 and $1,395 for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. At December 31, 2018, there was approximately $1,184 of stock-based compensation expense related to unvested awards not yet recognized which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 3.31 years.

Stock Options

Options granted under the 2006 Plan, 2014 Plan and 2018 Stock Plan generally vest ratably over periods of one to four years from the date of hire for new employees, or date of award for existing employees, or date of commencement of services with the Company for non-employees, and generally expire ten years from the date of issuance. The Company's policy is to issue new shares upon the exercise of stock options.

A summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options is as follows:



	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price	Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance at December 31, 2017	702,033		$16.21
Granted	1,050,667		1.62
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	(2,979	)	4.75
Expired	(4,684	)	412.74
Balance at December 31, 2018	1,745,037		6.38	8.63	$—
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018	1,745,037		6.38	8.63	—
Exercisable at December 31, 2018	877,058		11.05	7.87	—

The weighted average grant date fair value per share of options granted during fiscal years 2018 and 2017, was $1.33, and $2.10, respectively. No options were exercised during 2018 and 2017, and therefore the intrinsic value for exercised options during the two years was not applicable. The weighted average remaining contractual term for options outstanding as of December 31, 2018 was 8.6 years.

For the years ended December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company determined the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions for option grants, respectively:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Expected dividend yield	—	—
Risk-free rate	2.6% - 3.1%	1.8% - 2.2%
Expected option term (in years)	5.5 - 5.9	5.3 - 5.5
Volatility	107% - 110%	97% - 104%

The Company determined its volatility assumption based on actual market price fluctuations experienced during its trading history. The risk-free interest rate used for each grant is equal to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for instruments with a term similar to the expected life of the related option. The expected term of the options is based upon evaluation of historical and expected future exercise behavior.

The stock price volatility and expected terms utilized in the calculation involve management's best estimates at that time, both of which impact the fair value of the option calculated under the Black-Scholes methodology and, ultimately, the expense that will be recognized over the life of the option. The accounting standard for stock-based compensation requires that the Company recognize compensation expense for only the portion of options that vest. The Company recognizes stock option forfeitures resulting from award terminations in the period in which the forfeiture occurs.

Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs")

The Company records stock compensation expense for RSUs on a straight-line basis over their vesting period based on each RSU's award date market value. The Company did not award any RSUs during the year ended December 31, 2018. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company awarded a total of 25,337 RSUs to its non-employee directors in lieu of cash compensation for their services. These RSUs vested upon issuance resulting in immediate recognition of stock compensation expense for the fair value of the awards.

The Company will pay minimum required income tax withholding associated with RSUs for its employees. As the RSUs vest, the Company will withhold a number of shares with an aggregate fair market value equal to the minimum tax withholding amount (unless the employee makes other arrangements for payment of the tax withholding) from the common stock issuable at the vest date. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company withheld vested shares with a fair value of $6 and $12 to pay for minimum tax withholding associated with RSU vesting.

A summary of RSU activity for the year ended December 31, 2018 is as follows:



	Number of RSUs		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	14,367
Awarded	—
Released	(7,104	)
Forfeited	(162	)
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	7,101		0.25

Weighted average remaining recognition period (years)	0.25

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act ("TCJA"), was signed into law. Among other things, the Tax Act permanently lowered the corporate federal income tax rate to 21% from the existing maximum rate of 35%, effective for tax years including or commencing January 1, 2018. As a result of the reduction of the corporate federal income tax rate GAAP required companies to revalue their deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as of the date of enactment, with the resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment. For the year ending December 31, 2017, this revaluation resulted in a provision of $10,609 to income tax expense in continuing operations and a corresponding reduction the Company's valuation allowance. There was no impact, therefore, to the Company's income statement for the year ended December 31, 2017 as a result of the reduction in federal income tax rates. During 2018 the Company completed its review of new tax regulations issued under TCJA and finalized adjustments related to its deferred tax assets and liabilities that resulted from changes in the tax law.

Income Taxes and Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The components of loss from operations before provision for income taxes consist of the following:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Domestic	$	(12,273	)	$	(9,523	)
Foreign	3,103			126
Loss before taxes	$	(9,170	)	$	(9,397	)

Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax assets are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	$	24,261		$	20,490
Capitalization of research and development expense	1,385			1,606
Credit carryforwards	2,664			2,493
Depreciation	—			990
Stock compensation	966			1,035
Other temporary differences	695			794
Total deferred tax assets.	29,971			27,408
Valuation allowance	(29,672		)	(27,408		)
Net deferred tax assets	299			—
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Depreciation	(299		)	—
Net deferred taxes	$	—		$	—

Tax Rate

The items accounting for the difference between the income tax computed at the federal statutory rate of 21% and the provision for income taxes were as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	21.0	%	34.0	%
State taxes	8.0	%	4.9	%
Permanent differences	(0.1	)%	(2.3	)%
Tax credits	3.1	%	3.7	%
Federal rate change under tax reform	0.0	%	(112.9	)%
State rate change on deferred balances	0.0	%	0.1	%
Stock compensation	(3.6	)%	(12.7	)%
Other	0.6	%	1.2	%
Change in valuation allowance	(25.2	)%	84.0	%
German subsidiary dissolution	(3.8	)%	0.0	%
Total	0.0	%	0.0	%

Tax Attributes

At December 31, 2018, the Company had U.S. net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) for federal and state income tax purposes of approximately $89,971 and $84,918, respectively. The Company's existing federal and state operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire on various dates through 2038. Included in the $89,971 of federal net operating losses are losses of $12,162 that will carry forward indefinitely as a result of new regulations issued under TCJA. The Company also had available research and development and investment tax credits for federal and state income tax purposes of approximately $1,382 and $846, respectively. These federal and state research and development credits will begin to expire on various dates through 2038. In Canada, the Company has cumulative research tax credits totaling $614 that may be carried forward up to twenty years from the year earned. These credits will begin to expire in 2032 if not used. Management of the Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of its deferred tax assets, which are comprised principally of net operating loss carryforwards and research and development credits. Under the applicable accounting standards, management has considered the Company's history of losses and concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not recognize the benefits of federal and state deferred tax assets. Accordingly, a full valuation allowance has been established against the deferred tax assets.

Utilization of the net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership change limitations that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. These ownership changes may limit the amount of net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively. The Company completed an evaluation of its ownership changes through December 31, 2015 and determined that an ownership change occurred on August 22, 2014 in connection with an equity offering. As a consequence of this ownership change, the Company's NOLs, tax credit carryforwards and other tax deductions allocable to the tax periods preceding the ownership change became subject to limitation under Section 382. The Company has reduced its associated deferred tax assets accordingly. The Company has not yet completed an evaluation of ownership changes for the years 2016 through 2018. To the extent an ownership change occurs in the future, the net operating loss, credit carryforwards and other deferred tax assets may be subject to further limitations.

Other

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company decided to dissolve its wholly-owned German subsidiary, Metabolix GmbH, that has been inactive since 2014. As a result of this decision, the Company has written off the German deferred tax assets and related full valuation allowance resulting in no impact to the tax provision. The majority of the deferred tax asset value related to net operating loss carryforwards.

The tax years 2014 through 2017 remain open to examination by major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject, which are primarily in the U.S. The statute of limitations for net operating losses utilized in future years will remain open beginning in the year of utilization.

The Company's policy is to record estimated interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had no accrued interest or penalties recorded related to uncertain tax positions.

No additional provision has been made for U.S. income taxes related to the undistributed earnings of the wholly-owned subsidiaries of Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. or for unrecognized deferred tax liabilities for temporary differences related to investments in subsidiaries as the amounts are not significant. As such, earnings are expected to be permanently reinvested, the investments are essentially permanent in duration, or the Company has concluded that no additional tax liability will arise as a result of the distribution of such earnings. A liability could arise if amounts are distributed by such subsidiaries or if such subsidiaries are ultimately disposed. It is not practical to estimate the additional income taxes related to permanently reinvested earnings or the basis differences related to investment in subsidiaries. Unremitted earnings at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 approximated $491 and $482, respectively.

Employee Benefits	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefits	Dec. 31, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Employee Benefits	Employee Benefits The Company maintains a 401(k) savings plan in which substantially all of its regular U.S. employees are eligible to participate. Participants may contribute up to 60% of their annual compensation to the plan, subject to eligibility requirements and annual IRS limitations. The Company's plan provides for a matching contribution in common stock of up to 4.5% of a participant's total compensation dependent upon the level of participant contributions made during the plan year. Pursuant to this plan, the Company issued 65,594, and 22,493 shares of common stock during the years ended December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively, and recorded $102, and $85, respectively, of related expense. Company contributions are fully vested upon issuance.

U.S. Department of Energy Grants	12 Months Ended
U.S. Department of Energy Grants	Dec. 31, 2018
Research and Development Arrangement with Federal Government [Abstract]
U.S. Department of Energy Grants	U.S. Department of Energy Grants On April 17, 2018 the Company entered into a sub-award with Michigan State University ("MSU") to support a Department of Energy funded grant entitled "A Systems Approach to Increasing Carbon Flux to Seed Oil." The Company's participation under this grant commenced on September 15, 2017 and as of December 31, 2018, the first two years of the sub-award totaling $1,212 have been authorized. The Company anticipates that additional option years will be awarded annually to Yield10 through September 14, 2022 for total sub-award funding of $2,957, provided the U.S. Congress continues to appropriate funds for the program, the Company is able to make progress towards meeting grant objectives and it remains in compliance with other terms and conditions of the sub-award. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company recognized $419 and $0, respectively, in revenue related to this sub-award. In 2015, the Company entered into a multi-year $1,997 grant agreement entitled, Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing, with the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of Camelina sativa feedstock. The Company is used the funds to perform research to increase oil content and/or seed yield to maximize oil yields per acre. The Company recognized revenue from the grant over the term of the agreement as it incurred related research and development costs and it met its prorated cost-sharing obligation of approximately $500. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company recognized $137 and $913, respectively, in revenue related to this grant. The grant ended September 30, 2018 and all revenue under the grant has been recognized.

Restructuring	12 Months Ended
Restructuring	Dec. 31, 2018
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring	Restructuring During 2016, the Company initiated a strategic restructuring under which Yield10 Bioscience became its core business and its biopolymer operations were discontinued. As part of its strategic restructuring, the Company significantly reduced staffing levels and in January 2017, the Company formally changed its name to Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. In connection with the wind down of its biopolymer operations, the Company ceased pilot production of biopolymer materials and reached agreements with the owner-operators of its biopolymer production facilities regarding the termination of their services. Through May 2018, the Company made cash payments of $3,317, issued 27,500 shares of common stock with a fair value of $85 and transferred certain biopolymer-related production equipment with a net book value of $111 to fully settle these agreements and other restructuring activities. No further restructuring obligations remain outstanding at December 31, 2018.

Geographic Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Geographic Information

The geographic distribution of the Company's revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations is summarized as follows:



	U.S.		Canada		Eliminations			Total
Year Ended December 31, 2018
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	556	$	—	$	—		$	556
Inter-geographic revenues	—		1,418		(1,418		)	—
Net revenues	$	556	$	1,418	$	(1,418	)	$	556
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	1,372	$	13	$	—		$	1,385
Year Ended December 31, 2017
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	944	$	—	$	—		$	944
Inter-geographic revenues	—		1,154		(1,154		)	—
Net revenues	$	944	$	1,154	$	(1,154	)	$	944
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	1,533	$	6	$	—		$	1,539

Foreign revenue is based on the country in which the Company's subsidiary that earned the revenue is domiciled. During 2018, grant revenue earned from the Company's now completed Camelina grant with the Department of Energy and with the new Michigan State University sub-award totaled $137 and $419, or 100% of the Company's total revenue.

Subsequent Event	12 Months Ended
Subsequent Event	Dec. 31, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event On March 18, 2019, the Company completed a registered direct offering of its securities. Proceeds from the transaction were approximately $2,607, net of issuance costs of $323. Investors participating in the transaction purchased a total of 2,421,662 shares of common stock at a price of $1.21 per share.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

Use of Estimates

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity date of ninety days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

Amounts included in restricted cash represent those required to be set aside by contractual agreement.

Investments

Foreign Currency Translation

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company's receivables related to government grants are believed to have a low risk of default.

Fair Value Measurements

Segment Information

Property and Equipment



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life (years)
Equipment		3
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

The Company records incentive payments received from its landlords as a lease incentive obligation and amortizes these amounts as reductions to lease expense over the lease term.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Grant Revenue

Research and Development

General, and Administrative Expenses

General and Administrative Expenses

Intellectual Property Costs

The Company includes all costs associated with the prosecution and maintenance of patents within general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Stock-Based Compensation

Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share

Income Taxes

See Note 11 for further discussion of income taxes. The Company had no amounts recorded for any unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Restructuring Charges

Recent Accounting Standards Changes

New pronouncements that are not yet effective but may impact the Company's financial statements in the future are described below.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets included herein:



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,023	$	14,487
Restricted cash	332		317
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	3,355	$	14,804

Schedule of estimated useful life of assets used to compute depreciation using the straight-line method

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life (years)
Equipment		3
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Equipment	$	907		$	1,059
Furniture and fixtures	119			119
Leasehold improvements	1,749			1,749
Software	72			96
Total property and equipment, at cost	2,847			3,023
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,462		)	(1,484		)
Property and equipment, net	$	1,385		$	1,539

Schedule of shares used to calculate diluted earnings per share



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Options	1,294,180	622,329
Restricted stock awards	8,866	16,165
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	—	30,553
Warrants	7,433,084	943,749
Total	8,736,130	1,612,796

Investments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Schedule of investment holdings

The Company's investments consist of the following:



	Accumulated Cost at December 31, 2018		Unrealized				Market Value at December 31, 2018
	Accumulated Cost at December 31, 2018		Gain		(Loss)		Market Value at December 31, 2018
Short-term investments
Government securities	$	2,746	$	—	$	—	$	2,746
Total	$	2,746	$	—	$	—	$	2,746

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis



	Fair value measurements at reporting date using
	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs		Balance as of
Description	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		December 31, 2018
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	2,663	$	—	$	—	$	2,663
Short-term investments:
U.S. government and agency securities	—		2,746		—		2,746
Total	$	2,663	$	2,746	$	—	$	5,409



	Fair value measurements at reporting date using
	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs		Balance as of
Description	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		December 31, 2017
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	11,025	$	—	$	—	$	11,025
Total	$	11,025	$	—	$	—	$	11,025

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Schedule of components of property and equipment

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once they are placed in service as follows:



Asset Description		Estimated Useful Life (years)
Equipment		3
Furniture and Fixtures		5
Software		3
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of useful life or term of lease

Property and equipment consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Equipment	$	907		$	1,059
Furniture and fixtures	119			119
Leasehold improvements	1,749			1,749
Software	72			96
Total property and equipment, at cost	2,847			3,023
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,462		)	(1,484		)
Property and equipment, net	$	1,385		$	1,539

Accrued Expenses (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Schedule of accrued expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:



	Year ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Employee compensation and benefits	$	98	$	646
Leased facilities	799		585
Commercial manufacturing	—		489
Professional services	234		335
Other	298		244
Total accrued expenses	$	1,429	$	2,299

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases

At December 31, 2018, the Company's future minimum payments required under operating leases are as follows:



Year ended December 31,	Minimum lease payment
2019	$	1,025
2020	777
2021	654
2022	676
2023	695
2024 and thereafter	2,137
Total	$	5,964

Capital Stock (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Information with regard to outstanding warrants to purchase common stock

The following table summarizes information with regard to outstanding warrants to purchase common stock as of December 31, 2018:



Issuance	Number of Shares Issuable Upon Exercise of Outstanding Warrants	Exercise Price		Expiration Date
June 2015 Private Placement	393,300	$	39.80	June 15, 2019
July 2017 Registered Direct Offering	570,784	$	5.04	January 7, 2024
December 2017 Public Offering - Series A	6,439,000	$	2.25	December 21, 2022
Consultant	30,000	$	2.90	September 11, 2024
Total	7,433,084

Schedule of common stock shares reserved for future issuance



	December 31, 2018	December 31, 2017
Stock Options	1,745,037	702,033
RSUs	7,101	14,367
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	—	811,555
Warrants	7,433,084	10,652,586
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	9,185,222	12,180,541

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of an entity's stock, including par or stated value per share, number and dollar amount of share subscriptions, shares authorized, shares issued, shares outstanding, number and dollar amount of shares held in an employee trust, dividend per share, total dividends, share conversion features, par value plus additional paid in capital, the value of treasury stock and other information necessary to a fair presentation, and EPS information. Stock by class includes common, convertible, and preferred stocks which are not redeemable or redeemable solely at the option of the issuer. Includes preferred stock with redemption features that are solely within the control of the issuer and mandatorily redeemable stock if redemption is required to occur only upon liquidation or termination of the reporting entity. If more than one issue is outstanding, state the title of each issue and the corresponding dollar amount; dollar amount of any shares subscribed but unissued and the deduction of subscriptions receivable there from; number of shares authorized, issued, and outstanding.

+ References

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+ Details

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of warrants or rights issued. Warrants and rights outstanding are derivative securities that give the holder the right to purchase securities (usually equity) from the issuer at a specific price within a certain time frame. Warrants are often included in a new debt issue to entice investors by a higher return potential. The main difference between warrants and call options is that warrants are issued and guaranteed by the company, whereas options are exchange instruments and are not issued by the company. Also, the lifetime of a warrant is often measured in years, while the lifetime of a typical option is measured in months. Disclose the title of issue of securities called for by warrants and rights outstanding, the aggregate amount of securities called for by warrants and rights outstanding, the date from which the warrants or rights are exercisable, and the price at which the warrant or right is exercisable.

+ References + Details

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options under the plans

A summary of the activity related to the shares of common stock covered by outstanding options is as follows:



	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price	Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance at December 31, 2017	702,033		$16.21
Granted	1,050,667		1.62
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	(2,979	)	4.75
Expired	(4,684	)	412.74
Balance at December 31, 2018	1,745,037		6.38	8.63	$—
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018	1,745,037		6.38	8.63	—
Exercisable at December 31, 2018	877,058		11.05	7.87	—

Schedule of assumptions used in determining fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Expected dividend yield	—	—
Risk-free rate	2.6% - 3.1%	1.8% - 2.2%
Expected option term (in years)	5.5 - 5.9	5.3 - 5.5
Volatility	107% - 110%	97% - 104%

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Activity

A summary of RSU activity for the year ended December 31, 2018 is as follows:



	Number of RSUs		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	14,367
Awarded	—
Released	(7,104	)
Forfeited	(162	)
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	7,101		0.25

Weighted average remaining recognition period (years)	0.25

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of components of profit (loss) before provision for income taxes

The components of loss from operations before provision for income taxes consist of the following:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Domestic	$	(12,273	)	$	(9,523	)
Foreign	3,103			126
Loss before taxes	$	(9,170	)	$	(9,397	)

Schedule of significant components of the Company's net deferred tax asset

Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax assets are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	$	24,261		$	20,490
Capitalization of research and development expense	1,385			1,606
Credit carryforwards	2,664			2,493
Depreciation	—			990
Stock compensation	966			1,035
Other temporary differences	695			794
Total deferred tax assets.	29,971			27,408
Valuation allowance	(29,672		)	(27,408		)
Net deferred tax assets	299			—
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Depreciation	(299		)	—
Net deferred taxes	$	—		$	—

Schedule of items accounting for the difference between the income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate and the provision for income taxes

The items accounting for the difference between the income tax computed at the federal statutory rate of 21% and the provision for income taxes were as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	21.0	%	34.0	%
State taxes	8.0	%	4.9	%
Permanent differences	(0.1	)%	(2.3	)%
Tax credits	3.1	%	3.7	%
Federal rate change under tax reform	0.0	%	(112.9	)%
State rate change on deferred balances	0.0	%	0.1	%
Stock compensation	(3.6	)%	(12.7	)%
Other	0.6	%	1.2	%
Change in valuation allowance	(25.2	)%	84.0	%
German subsidiary dissolution	(3.8	)%	0.0	%
Total	0.0	%	0.0	%

Geographic Information (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of the geographic distribution of revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations

The geographic distribution of the Company's revenues and long-lived assets from continuing operations is summarized as follows:



	U.S.		Canada		Eliminations			Total
Year Ended December 31, 2018
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	556	$	—	$	—		$	556
Inter-geographic revenues	—		1,418		(1,418		)	—
Net revenues	$	556	$	1,418	$	(1,418	)	$	556
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	1,372	$	13	$	—		$	1,385
Year Ended December 31, 2017
Net revenues to unaffiliated customers	$	944	$	—	$	—		$	944
Inter-geographic revenues	—		1,154		(1,154		)	—
Net revenues	$	944	$	1,154	$	(1,154	)	$	944
Identifiable long-lived assets	$	1,533	$	6	$	—		$	1,539

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 18, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments		$ 5,769
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Period over which company's present capital resources are not sufficient to fund its planned operations		12 months
Subsequent Event \| Registered direct offering
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Amount received from offering of common stock, net of issuance costs	$ 2,607

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 3,023	$ 14,487
Restricted cash	332	317
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$ 3,355	$ 14,804	$ 7,741

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Estimated Useful Lives (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018
Equipment
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	3 years
Furniture and fixtures
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	5 years
Software
Property and Equipment
Estimated Useful Life	3 years

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Antidilutive Common Stock Excluded From Calculation of Dilutive Shares (Details) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	8,736,130	1,612,796
Options
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	1,294,180	622,329
Restricted stock awards
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	8,866	16,165
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	0	30,553
Warrants
Antidilutive securities
Antidilutive common stock excluded from the calculation of dilutive shares	7,433,084	943,749

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Narrative (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Concentration of credit risk
Restricted cash	$ 332,000	$ 317,000
Deferred equity financing costs		622,000
Unbilled receivables, current		119,000
Number of operating segments \| segment	1
Income from wholly-owned subsidiaries located outside of the United States	$ 3,103,000	126,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	0	0
Government grants
Concentration of credit risk
Unbilled receivables, current	$ 160,000	$ 104,000
Receivables/sales (as a percent)		87.00%
Aspire
Concentration of credit risk
Common stock, commitment to sell, amount				$ 20,000,000
Scenario, Forecast \| Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Concentration of credit risk
Right-of use assets			$ 5,000,000
Lease liabilities			$ 7,000,000

Investments (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Short-term Investments [Abstract]
Accumulated Cost	$ 2,746
Unrealized Gain	0
Unrealized (Loss)	0
Market Value	2,746
Government securities
Short-term Investments [Abstract]
Accumulated Cost	2,746
Unrealized Gain	0
Unrealized (Loss)	0
Market Value	$ 2,746

Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Short-term investments	$ 2,746
Total	5,409	$ 11,025
U.S. government and agency securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Short-term investments	2,746
Money market funds
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash equivalents	2,663	11,025
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	2,663	11,025
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) \| U.S. government and agency securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Short-term investments	0
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) \| Money market funds
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash equivalents	2,663	11,025
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	2,746	0
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) \| U.S. government and agency securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Short-term investments	2,746
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) \| Money market funds
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash equivalents	0	0
Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	0	0
Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) \| U.S. government and agency securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Short-term investments	0
Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) \| Money market funds
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash equivalents	$ 0	$ 0

Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	$ 2,847	$ 3,023
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(1,462)	(1,484)
Property and equipment, net	1,385	1,539
Depreciation	196	206
Equipment
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	907	1,059
Furniture and fixtures
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	119	119
Leasehold improvements
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	1,749	1,749
Software
Property and equipment, net
Total property and equipment, at cost	$ 72	$ 96

Accrued Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended
Accrued Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Employee compensation and benefits	$ 646	$ 98
Leased facilities	585	799
Commercial manufacturing	489	0
Professional services	335	234
Other	244	298
Total accrued expenses	2,299	1,429
Accrued employee bonuses	542	$ 0
Professional fees	$ 216

Commitments and Contingencies - Details Textual (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) ft²	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) ft²	Oct. 31, 2016 USD ($) ft²
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating leases, rent expense, net		$ 1,235	$ 954
Area of real estate property \| ft²				29,622
Security deposit				$ 307
Receivable, leasehold Improvements				889
Operating leases, landlord reimbursement for lease improvements, additional payments				444
Future minimum payments due		5,964
Lease exit charge	$ 249
Contract termination costs				$ 2,641
Payments against termination obligation		$ 489
Subsidiary
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Area of real estate property \| ft²		6,200
650 Suffolk Street, Lowell, Massachusetts
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Area of real estate property \| ft²		13,702
CJ Cheil Jedang Corporation
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Area of real estate property \| ft²					9,874
Security deposit					$ 103
Future minimum payments due		$ 5,964

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Future minimum lease payments
2019	$ 1,025
2020	777
2021	654
2022	676
2023	695
2024 and thereafter	2,137
Total	$ 5,964

License Agreements (Details)	24 Months Ended
License Agreements (Details)	Dec. 31, 2018 arrangement
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Number of licensing arrangements entered into	2

Capital Stock (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands						1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Capital Stock (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Jan. 01, 2020	Jan. 01, 2019	Mar. 19, 2018 shares	Jul. 07, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	May 26, 2017 shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	May 23, 2018 shares	May 22, 2018 shares	Sep. 12, 2017 $ / shares shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)						40,000,000	60,000,000	40,000,000	60,000,000	40,000,000
Proceeds from public stock offerings, net of issuance costs \| $				$ 1,966		$ 13,097	$ 0	$ 13,318
Issuance costs from private placement \| $				$ 317		$ 1,392
Issuance of stock (in shares)				570,784
Share price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares				$ 4.00
Investment warrants, exercise price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares				$ 5.04
Deemed dividend on Series A Convertible Preferred Stock issuance \| $							0	1,427
Net loss \| $							(9,170)	(9,396)
Net loss applicable to common shareholders \| $							$ (9,170)	$ (10,823)
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of preferred stock (in shares)			1,772,000
Shares issued for each share converted					10
Stock issued during period, shares, reverse stock splits					28,700,000
Stock issued during period, shares, stock splits					2,900,000
Preferred stock, shares authorized						5,000,000	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, par value per share (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares						$ 0.01	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of stock (in shares)								4,667,000
Issuance of common stock upon conversion of preferred stock (in shares)							811,557	960,445
Series B Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from public stock offerings, net of issuance costs \| $							$ 124
Series B Warrant \| Common Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of stock (in shares)							55,100
Consultant Offering
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)											30,000
Affiliated Entity
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share) \| $ / shares											$ 2.90
Class A Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of stock (in shares)						4,667,000
Share price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares							$ 2.25
Class A Units \| Series A Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Class of warrant or right expiration term						5 years
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share) \| $ / shares							$ 2.25
Number of securities called by each warrant or right							1
Class A Units \| Series B Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Class of warrant or right expiration term						9 months
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share) \| $ / shares							$ 2.25
Number of securities called by each warrant or right							0.5
Class B Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of stock (in shares)						3,987
Share price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares							$ 1,000
Preferred Stock Conversions, Conversion Price \| $ / shares							$ 2.25
Class B Units \| Series A Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Class of warrant or right expiration term						5 years
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)							445
Investment warrants, exercise price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares						$ 2.25
Class B Units \| Series B Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Class of warrant or right expiration term						9 months
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)							223
Investment warrants, exercise price (in USD per share) \| $ / shares						$ 2.25
Scenario, Forecast
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Increase in shares available for issuance, percent	5.00%	5.00%
Expected term \| Series A Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Warrants, expected term							5 years
Expected term \| Series B Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Warrants, expected term							9 months
Risk free rate \| Series A Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Warrants, measurement input							0.022
Risk free rate \| Series B Warrant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Warrants, measurement input							0.017
Volatility
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Warrants, measurement input							1.25
2018 Stock Plan
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Shares reserved for issuance							1,300,000		1,300,000

Capital Stock - Schedule Of Warrants Issuance (Details) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Jul. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2015
Warrants
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)				570,784	393,300
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share)				$ 5.04	$ 39.80
Class A Units
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)	6,439,000
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share)	$ 2.25
Consultant
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)		30,000
Exercise price of warrants (in USD per share)		$ 2.90
Warrants
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)		7,433,084	10,652,586

Capital Stock - Schedule of Common Stock Reserved For Future Issuance (Details) - shares	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	9,185,222		12,180,541
Options
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	1,745,037		702,033
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	7,101		14,367
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Total number of common shares reserved for future issuance	0		811,555
Warrants
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of securities called by warrants (in shares)		7,433,084	10,652,586

Stock-Based Compensation - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands			12 Months Ended		144 Months Ended
	Jan. 01, 2020	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	May 23, 2018
Stock-based compensation
Unvested and outstanding restricted stock (in shares)			7,101	14,367	14,367
Stock-based compensation			$ 1,181	$ 1,395
Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized			3 months
RSUs awarded (in shares)			0
Fair value of vested shares withheld for minimum tax withholding			$ 6	$ 12
2018 Stock Plan
Stock-based compensation
Shares reserved for issuance			1,300,000			1,300,000
Stock options
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded (in shares)			1,050,667
Unvested and outstanding options (in shares)			1,745,037	702,033	702,033
Expiration period			10 years
Weighted average grant date fair value of options granted (in dollars per share)			$ 1.33	$ 2.10
Weighted average remaining contractual term for options outstanding			8 years 7 months 17 days
Exercise of common stock options (in shares)			0	0
Stock options \| Employee and Director
Stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested awards not yet recognized			$ 1,184
Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized			3 years 3 months 22 days
Stock options \| Minimum
Stock-based compensation
Vesting period for options granted			1 year
Stock options \| Maximum
Stock-based compensation
Vesting period for options granted			4 years
Stock options \| 2006 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Further grants or awards after termination of plan (in shares)			0
Options awarded (in shares)					146,724
Unvested and outstanding options (in shares)			21,867
Stock options \| 2014 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded to date (in shares)			675,529
Unvested and outstanding options (in shares)			667,699
Stock options \| 2018 Stock Plan
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded to date (in shares)			1,038,242
Unvested and outstanding options (in shares)			1,036,304
Restricted stock awards \| 2014 Plan
Stock-based compensation
Options awarded to date (in shares)			144,541
Unvested and outstanding restricted stock (in shares)			7,101
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Stock-based compensation
Fair value of vested shares withheld for minimum tax withholding			$ 6	$ 12
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Director
Stock-based compensation
RSUs awarded (in shares)			25,337
Scenario, Forecast
Stock-based compensation
Increase in shares available for issuance, percent	5.00%	5.00%

Stock-Based Compensation - Stock Option Activity (Details) - Stock options - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Number of Shares
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares)	702,033
Granted (in shares)	1,050,667
Exercised (in shares)	0	0
Forfeited (in shares)	(2,979)
Expired (in shares)	(4,684)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)	1,745,037	702,033
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in shares)	1,745,037
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	877,058
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Balance at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 16.21
Granted (in dollars per share)	1.62
Exercised (in dollars per share)	0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	4.75
Expired (in dollars per share)	412.74
Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	6.38	$ 16.21
Vested and expected to vest at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	6.38
Exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 11.05
Remaining Contractual Term
Balance	8 years 7 months 17 days
Vested and expected to vest	8 years 7 months 17 days
Exercisable	7 years 10 months 13 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Balance	$ 0
Vested and expected to vest	0
Exercisable	$ 0

Stock-Based Compensation - Assumptions Used for Fair Value of Stock Options (Details) - Employee and Director - Stock options	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%
Risk-free rate, minimum	2.60%	1.80%
Risk-free rate, maximum	3.10%	2.20%
Volatility, minimum	107.00%	97.00%
Volatility, maximum	110.00%	104.00%
Minimum
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected option term	5 years 6 months	5 years 3 months 18 days
Maximum
Assumptions used to determine fair value of stock options
Expected option term	5 years 10 months 24 days	5 years 6 months

Stock-Based Compensation - Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 shares
Number of RSUs
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	14,367
Awarded	0
Released	(7,104)
Forfeited	(162)
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	7,101
Weighted average remaining recognition period (years)	3 months
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	3 months

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Components of profit (loss) before provision for income taxes
Domestic	$ (12,273)	$ (9,523)
Foreign	3,103	126
Loss before taxes	(9,170)	(9,397)
Deferred Tax Assets:
Net operating loss carryforward	24,261	20,490
Capitalization of research and development expense	1,385	1,606
Credit carryforwards	2,664	2,493
Depreciation	0	990
Stock compensation	966	1,035
Other temporary differences	695	794
Total deferred tax assets.	29,971	27,408
Valuation allowance	(29,672)	(27,408)
Net deferred tax assets	299	0
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Depreciation	(299)	0
Net deferred taxes	$ 0	$ 0
Difference between income tax benefit computed at the federal statutory rate and the provision for income taxes
Federal income tax at statutory federal rate	21.00%	34.00%
State taxes	8.00%	4.90%
Permanent differences	(0.10%)	(2.30%)
Tax credits	3.10%	3.70%
Federal rate change under tax reform	(0.00%)	(112.90%)
State rate change on deferred balances	0.00%	0.10%
Stock compensation	(3.60%)	(12.70%)
Other	0.60%	1.20%
Change in valuation allowance	(25.20%)	84.00%
German subsidiary dissolution	(3.80%)	0.00%
Total	0.00%	0.00%

Income Taxes - Details Textual (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Details Textual (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Revaluation provision for income tax expense		$ 10,609,000
Interest and penalties accrued	$ 0	0	$ 0
Provision for income taxes for undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	0
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	$ 482,000	$ 482,000	491,000
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards			89,971,000
Losses that will carry forward indefinitely			12,162,000
State and Local Jurisdiction
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards			84,918,000
Research Tax Credit Carryforward \| Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax credit carryforward, amount			1,382,000
Research Tax Credit Carryforward \| State and Local Jurisdiction
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax credit carryforward, amount			846,000
Research Tax Credit Carryforward \| Foreign Tax Authority
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax credit carryforward, amount			$ 614,000

Employee Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Maximum contribution by participants under the 401(k) savings plan (as a percent)	60.00%
Employer's matching contribution in common stock as a percentage of a participant's total compensation, percent	4.50%
Common stock issued under the 401(k) savings plan (in shares)	65,594	22,493
Related expense for common stock issued under the 401(k) savings plan	$ 102	$ 85

U.S. Department of Energy Grants (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2015
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 556	$ 944
Systems Approach to Increasing Carbon Flux to Seed Oil
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Cumulative amount awarded	1,212
Total expected funding	2,957
Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Multi-year grant agreement amount			$ 1,997
Prorated cost-sharing obligation amount	500
Grant revenue
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Revenues	556	944
Grant revenue \| Systems Approach to Increasing Carbon Flux to Seed Oil
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Revenues	419	0
Grant revenue \| Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing
Research and Development Arrangement, Contract to Perform for Others [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 137	$ 913

Restructuring - Textual Details (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended	29 Months Ended
	Jul. 07, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	May 31, 2018
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Issuance of stock (in shares)	570,784
Issuance of stock		$ 13,097
Discontinuance of biopolymer operations
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Payments for restructuring			$ 3,317
Issuance of stock (in shares)			27,500
Issuance of stock			$ 85
Transfer of equipment to settle contractual liability			$ 111

Geographic Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Geographic Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Geographic Information
Net revenues	$ 556	$ 944
Identifiable long-lived assets	1,385	1,539
U.S.
Geographic Information
Net revenues	556	944
Identifiable long-lived assets	1,372	1,533
Canada
Geographic Information
Net revenues	1,418	1,154
Identifiable long-lived assets	13	6
Eliminations
Geographic Information
Net revenues	(1,418)	(1,154)
Inter-geographic revenues \| Canada
Geographic Information
Net revenues	1,418	1,154
Inter-geographic revenues \| Eliminations
Geographic Information
Net revenues	$ (1,418)	$ (1,154)

Geographic Information - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Revenue earned
Revenues	$ 556	$ 944
Customer Concentration Risk \| Revenues \| US Department of Energy
Revenue earned
Percentage of total revenue	100.00%
Grant revenue
Revenue earned
Revenues	$ 556	944
Grant revenue \| Production of High Oil, Transgene Free Camelina Sativa Plants through Genome Editing
Revenue earned
Revenues	137	913
Grant revenue \| Systems Approach to Increasing Carbon Flux to Seed Oil
Revenue earned
Revenues	$ 419	$ 0

Subsequent Event (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands			1 Months Ended
	Mar. 18, 2019	Jul. 07, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Common stock issuance costs		$ 317	$ 1,392
Subsequent Event \| Registered direct offering
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Amount received from offering of common stock, net of issuance costs	$ 2,607
Common stock issuance costs	$ 323
Common stock issued in offering (in shares)	2,421,662
Common stock price (in dollars per share)	$ 1.21